“Initially we diagnosed her with Covid pneumonia and she slowly responded to treatment, but subsequently she was found to be suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, also known as Lupus,” Dr. Samir Sahu, Clinical Head of the SUM Covid Hospital, said.

Even as she was being treated in the ICU, investigations continued to determine her underlying medical condition. Since Covid-19 and Lupus had similar lab parameters it was difficult to ascertain her condition.

Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissue, he explained. “We had to balance the two treatments and it was almost like a walk on the razor’s edge,” Dr. Pradeepta Shekhar Patro, Rheumatologist and Clinical Immunologist of the hospital, said.

The patient completely recovered after 12 days of sustained treatment when she tested negative for Covid-19 and her platelet count increased from 40,000 to 1,20,000. She was discharged from the hospital subsequently.